Lucas's mother, Vosges teenager whose suicide in 2023 at 13 years old
had aroused national emotion, published a book on Wednesday January 8 to “pay tribute” to his son, “raise awareness about harassment” and help parents who are faced with it.
With this book, “Lucas, symbol in spite of himself” (Harper Collins), his mother wants people to remember her son as a hero. In an interview, she said it was a “way also for me to keep him alive, because he's always in people's heads”.
“I decided to make a book to raise awareness about bullying, so that we also remember Lucas, of the fight I lead to do him justiceso that there are no more victims too,” explained Séverine Vermard.
“Talk to your children, follow them, don't hesitate, don't judge them above all”, says this mother, who created the anti-harassment association LUNAH (Freedom, unity, no to harassment), and believes that “many more trained people” are needed and “many more resources for associations” in this fight.
No link between harassment and suicide
Lucas, 13, committed suicide in Golbey in the Vosges on January 7, 2023 after writing a note expressing his desire to end his life.
His relatives had denounced acts of harassmentrevealing the mockery and homophobic insults of which the teenager had said he was the victim from other schoolchildren.
Four teenagers from his college, prosecuted for “harassment leading to suicide”, were convicted at first instance, without the link between the harassment and Lucas' suicide being established. They were then acquitted on appeal in November 2023. The prosecution and the boy's family appealed to the Court of Cassation.
The administrative investigation carried out by National Education concluded that Lucas had indeed been the victim of harassment, the ministry indicated in December.
In her book, Séverine Vermard says she discovered “a few days before the appeal hearing” in 2023 that the administrative investigation announced by Pap Ndiaye, Minister of Education at the time, “had never been opened”.
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